Reports on HIV/AIDS: 1990

NOVEMBER 23, 1990, MMWR, Vol. 39, No. 46, pp. 829-831
Surveillance for HIV-2 Infection in Blood Donors -
United States, 1987-1989
In collaboration with CDC, blood collection agencies are conducting ongoing
surveillance for human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) infection among U.S.
blood donors. Through December 1989, no blood donors with HIV-2 infection had
been detected. This report summarizes findings of recent HIV-2 surveillance by the
American Red Cross Blood Services (ARCBS) and the New York Blood Center (NYBC).
To examine the potential for HIV-2 infection in blood supplies, the ARCBS and the
NYBC tested stored frozen serum (collected from January 1987 to December 1989)
that had previously tested repeatedly reactive by the HIV-1 enzyme immunoassay
(EIA) (serum from persons with HIV-2 infection often cross-reacts with HIV-1 EIA
[ 7,2 ]). The ARCBS tested 24,826 samples (approximately 95% of all specimens at the
ARCBS that tested repeatedly reactive by the HIV-1 EIA). Of these, 93% were identified
from routine HIV-1 screening of approximately 18 million regular, directed (i.e.,
recipient specifies donor), and autologous blood donations from all ARCBS collection
facilities; 7% were identified from testing of nondonor samples referred for HIV-1
confirmatory testing. The NYBC tested 3314 specimens that were repeatedly reactive
by the HIV-1 EIA and indeterminate by HIV-1 Western blot. These samples were
identified from approximately 2 million donations.
The ARCBS and the NYBC screened donors with the licensed Abbott* (North
Chicago, Illinois) and Dupont/Biotech (Wilmington, Delaware) whole-virus lysate
HIV-1 EIAs, respectively. Serum samples repeatedly reactive by HIV-1 EIA were tested
with a whole-virus lysate HIV-2 EIA (Genetic Systems, Seattle, Washington) that was
recently licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Of the 24,826 ARCBS
samples, 2426 (9.8%) were also repeatedly reactive by the HIV-2 EIA (Table 1). Of
these, 86% were HIV-1 positive by Western blot at the time of initial donor screening.
Of the 3314 NYBC samples, 48 (1.5%) had repeatedly reactive HIV-2 EIA results.
Twenty-six blinded HIV-2-positive control specimenst, 141 HIV-1 EIA-negative
control specimens, and 2415 specimens from ARCBS and NYBC that tested repeatedly reactive by the HIV-2 EIA were sent to CDC for further testing with investigational
HIV-1 and HIV-2 EIA peptide assays (Genetic Systems, Seattle, Washington). (An
additional 59 specimens from ARCBS and NYBC had insufficient quantity of serum for
further testing.) Specimens with positive HIV-2 peptide-assay results were also tested
by an investigational whole-virus lysate HIV-2 Western blot (Genetic Systems, Seattle,
Washington). Specimens with positive HIV-1 and HIV-2 peptide results were also
tested with an HIV-1 Western blot (Dupont/Biotech, Wilmington, Delaware) at CDC.
A specimen was considered to have HIV-2 antibody if the HIV-2 Western blot result
was reactive by World Health Organization criteria (3). No blood-donor specimens
had HIV-2 antibody.
Reported by: CT Fang, PhD, AE Williams, PhD, Jerome H Holland Laboratory, American National
Red Cross, Rockville, Maryland. MCJ Rios, C Bianco, New York Blood Center, New York City. Div
of HIV/AIDS, Center for Infectious Diseases, CDC.
*Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the Public
Health Service, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the American National Red
Cross, or the New York Blood Center.
tAs determined by all of the following: 1) either a nonreactive or weakly reactive HIV-1 peptide
EIA, 2) a strongly reactive HIV-2 peptide EIA, 3) a reactive HIV-2 Western blot, and 4) an
indeterminate HIV-1 Western blot.

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